Systems, methods, and devices for customizing content-access lists

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer program products describe customizing the presentation of a content-access list based on subscriber-specific information, such as historic viewing preferences and related information. Preferences of a subscriber are received. A subscriber-specified time period is also received, with the time period specifying a time for which the subscriber wishes the preferences to be analyzed. A content database is queried for content related to the preference occurring within the time period. A first option list is received from the content database, wherein the first option list comprises content options related to the preference. The first option list is delivered to the subscriber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/154,248, by Grauch et al., filed Jun. 15, 2005 (AttorneyDocket BS95003 CON 2), which is itself a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/496,825, by Grauch et al., filed Feb. 1, 2000(Attorney Docket BS95003 CON), and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______,which is itself a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/779,306, by Batten et al., filed Jan. 6, 1997 (Attorney DocketBS95003) (now abandoned), with each incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety. This application is also a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/036,923, filed Dec. 21, 2001 and entitled“System and Method for Customizing Content-Access Lists” (BS01424), andincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figurescontain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

BACKGROUND

This application generally relates to the utilization of content-accesspatterns and, more particularly, to customization of content accesssystems and methods based on content-access patterns and associatedbehaviors.

Individuals receive information and entertainment content from a widevariety of media sources. These sources include radio, newspapers, theInternet, and television content providers. To support the creation anddistribution of content, providers must derive revenue from the content.Content providers derive substantial revenues from subscription andadvertising. During the broadcast of a television program,advertisements, in the form of commercials, are inserted at various timeintervals. An advertiser pays the broadcaster to include anadvertisement with specific content or types of content.

The amount of money that an advertiser pays is directly related to thenumber of subscribers watching or accessing a broadcast. Conventionally,for television advertising, advertising revenue equals a rate perthousand viewers multiplied by the number of viewers estimated to beviewing a program. Similarly, web site content providers conventionallycharge advertisers a fixed amount per thousand advertising impressions.Therefore, the higher the number of viewers or subscribers accessingcontent, the greater the revenue provider derives. And the greater thenumber of subscribers, the more likely it is that a greater number ofthe subscribers will view a particular advertisement. Therefore, contentproviders desire to increase the number of subscribers they serve.

Many variables affect the number of subscribers who subscribe to acontent provider's service. For example, if a cable television provideris able to offer channels that other competitive providers in theviewing area do not offer, the provider is likely to draw subscribersaway from the competitors. Also, if a provider's services are easier touse or include more features or more useful features than thecompetition, the provider may be able to draw competitors' subscribers.Therefore, providers strive to provide a plurality of services that areattractive to subscribers, especially when compared to the services ofthe provider's competitors.

One such service is an electronic program guide (EPG) or other similarmenu system for accessing content. Conventional EPGs for advancedtelevision systems provide access to new content types and services,such as pay per view (generally, in a digital television applicationreferred to as video on demand (VOD) or near video on demand (NVOD)),movies, games, news reports, as well as product purchases for books andother items.

The EPG is, generally speaking, an electronic multi-level menu, whichfirst presents a list of broad categories from which a subscriber canselect. As the subscriber selects from among these broad categories, theEPG presents more discrete categories. The EPG may present categories invarious ways using various methods. For example, providersconventionally sort the category lists alphabetically or based on thegeneral popularity of specific categories. Under these approaches, allsubscribers receive the same menu in the same order, regardless of theirpersonal preferences.

The lack of customization has been due in part to a lack of technologyfor accurately tracking a subscriber's preferences. Although methodsexist for tracking the historic preferences of small numbers ofsubscribers, no efficient method exists for accurately tracking a largenumber of subscribers in real near real time. The lack of customizationalso stems from the expense and difficulty of customizing individualsubscriber's EPGs.

Several conventional approaches allow a subscriber to customize a menuor EPG. The conventional approaches are primarily manual processes onthe part of the user to set up an automated or semi-automated updateprocess. A set-top box or other menu presentation device then implementsthe update of the EPG based on the user settings.

For example, the patent to Peter D. Halenbeck, U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,211,discloses a method and apparatus for displaying only menu optionsmeeting selection criteria set by user. The patent to Theodore S.Rzeszewski, U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,481 discloses a set-top box, whichincludes a feature to add “select” channels, wherein the user manuallyconfigures a plurality of channels, and only those channels appear inthe EPG.

A similar approach is used by a TiVo® system, which allows a user toselect a category, actors, and other preferences for recordingtelevision programming. TiVo can also perform a predictive interestalgorithm to record programs you might wish to view based on previousviewing. (TiVo® is a registered trademark of TiVo Inc., Alviso, Calif.).As with other conventional methods, TiVo® requires manual configurationby a user before recording can take place.

Conventional approaches for displaying option lists are simplistic andgeneric, and fail to attract subscriber and do not allow providers todifferentiate themselves from one another. Also, because of the shearvolume of content available in any given media, conventional systems andmethods generate options lists that are difficult for a subscriber tonavigate efficiently. Also, conventional systems and methods require theuser to make conscious, deliberate decisions and selections in order tofind the product offerings or content that meets their desiredinterests. Because the conventional process requires that a series ofmanual steps be followed for any level of customization, the process ismore complex than is necessary.

In addition, it is slow and inefficient to update the contentavailability in current content option lists, and therefore, it isdifficult to present a customized list even after the subscriber hasperformed manual configuration. Conventional systems and methods alsofail to take advantage of known content viewing patterns and relatedbehaviors in order to provide alternative or additional product offeringlists that may be pre-sorted based on the viewing patterns.

SUMMARY

The exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for customizingthe presentation of a content-access list based on subscriber-specificinformation, such as historic viewing preferences and relatedinformation. The exemplary embodiments include a content-access-historydatabase, a content database, and an option list creator, which combinesdata in the content-access-history and content databases to create listsof content-access options that are customized for individualsubscribers.

According to the exemplary embodiments, the content-access-historydatabase includes information about actions the subscriber has taken toaccess content, such as television programming or information on websites. The content-access-history database may be a clickstreamdatabase. The content-access-history database may include a categoryattribute. In an embodiment, the content-access-history includestelevision-viewing-history database. For example, thecontent-access-history database may indicate that at 8:00 p.m. onJanuary 1, the subscriber's television was tuned to channel 12.

The content database describes content available from various contentproviders via various mediums. Exemplary embodiments, for example,include a television programming history database. The content andcontent-access-history database are combined to provide a completehistory of the content accessed by a subscriber. In the example above,if the provider of content on channel 12 broadcasts or otherwiseprovides a basketball game at 8:00 p.m. on January 1, then it can bedetermined that the subscriber was watching a basketball game on thatdate and at that time. The content-access-history and content databasesinclude various key data fields to link the data, including, forexample, the data and time and medium (e.g., channel number).

The combined data forms a content preference profile (CPP) for asubscriber and is useful for a variety of applications. In exemplaryembodiments, an option list creator software application utilizes theCPP to create options lists, which are customized to a subscriber'sviewing preferences. The option list creator may be an applicationexecuting on a set-top box in a subscriber's home or may be anapplication executing on a processor in a content provider facility,such as a cable television operator's head-end facility.

The option list provides a means for a subscriber to access furtheroption lists or to access content. For example, in exemplaryembodiments, the option list creator creates a menu, such as anelectronic program guide. Content available via a specific option variesdepending on the medium that the subscriber is using to access thecontent. For example, if the subscriber is using an EPG presented by aset-top box connected to a television, then the content may comprise atleast one of a cable television station, a video-on-demand server, and apersonal video recorder.

In exemplary embodiments, the option list creator customizes the optionlist for a subscriber. For example, the options displayed by an EPG areconventionally sorted alphabetically. By utilizing the subscriber'scontent preference profile, the EPG creator application sorts theoptions so that the options that are most likely to appeal to thesubscriber appear at the top of the list.

The exemplary embodiments provide numerous advantages when compared toconventional methods for providing customized options lists. Byproviding a simpler, more accurate option list, a content provider islikely to attract additional subscribers. Also, various contentproviders operating in the same medium, such as cable operators andsatellite television providers, strive to differentiate their offeringsto attract subscribers. The exemplary embodiments offer these providersa mechanism for differentiation.

Moreover, as the deployment of digital television inexorably increasescontent choices to hundreds or thousands of individually availablecontent selections, such pre-filtering or sorting becomes important inorder for the viewer to have the ability to easily and efficientlymanage the volume of choices available. By sorting the content optionlists so that access to preferred content appears first, exemplaryembodiments simplify the process of accessing content for thesubscriber. The subscriber is spared from having to wade through lessdesirable or undesirable content. Therefore, the likelihood that theviewer will find the content he is interested in is increased along withthe subscriber's overall satisfaction.

Customization of the option list is also much simpler than forconventional systems. Conventional systems require that the subscribermanually configure a set-top box or provide viewing preferences beforean EPG will filter or sort content option lists for a subscriber. Inexemplary embodiments the content preferences are compiled automaticallyand then applied to the creation process for the option list,simplifying the process for the subscriber while, at the same time,providing a more accurate representation of the subscriber's currentcontent preferences.

Further details and advantages are set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages are better understoodwhen the following Detailed Description is read with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment and an exemplaryenvironment for centralized operation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment and an exemplaryenvironment for decentralized operation.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process implemented by a video ondemand menu item generator, according to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a hierarchy of menus generated, according toexemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for creating acustomized content option list using preferences derived from acontent-access-history database. Some exemplary embodiments include avideo-on-demand menu item generator linked to a subscriber contentpreference profile evaluator. The evaluator retrieves preferences fromthe preference profile and uses the preferences to filter or sort themenu items generated by the menu item generator. A menu presenterpresents the filtered or sorted menu items as an option list to thesubscriber.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating centralized storage andevaluation of the content preference profile, according to exemplaryembodiments. A cable operator head-end facility 102 includes avideo-on-demand (VOD) server 104. The VOD server 104 includes a menuitem generator 106 linked to a movie storage database 108. The menu itemgenerator 106 is operative to generate a menu or list of options fromwhich a subscriber can select various content, such as video-on-demand.The menu item generator 106 also receives and responds to commandsrelated to menu presentation. The movie storage database 108 providescontent, which can be delivered to a subscriber. In other embodiments,the cable operator head-end includes various other sources of content,including television-programming servers, local advertising servers,e-commerce merchandising servers, and a satellite signal receiver. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the VOD server 104 is linked to a cablenetwork 109, which is in turn linked to a set-top box 110 in asubscriber's home (not shown).

The set-top box 110 includes various software applications, including amenu presenter 112 and a subscriber action collector 114. The menupresenter 112 receives information from the menu item generator 109 viathe cable network 109, and presents a menu on a video display device(not shown), such as a television or personal computer. The menupresenter also receives commands and forwards them to the menu itemgenerator 106 as necessary. In some exemplary embodiments the menupresenter 112 provides an electronic program guide (EPG) that includesthe generated option list. In other exemplary embodiments the menupresenter 112 provides a multi-level menu, wherein selecting an optionfrom the option list results in the display of another option list. Inyet another embodiment, the menu provider presents a simple display ofthe option list within a picture-in-a-picture (PIP) window on thetelevision display. The option list provides access to various types ofcontent, such as cable television stations, video-on-demand or nearvideo-on-demand, and output from personal video recorders.

The subscriber action collector 114 records actions taken by thesubscriber when viewing a program. The subscriber action collector 114may include a clickstream database. A clickstream database is common inInternet monitoring applications and similar databases have beendescribed for tracking television subscriber actions, as described in apatent application by Meadows et al., U.S. application Ser. No.09/496,825, filed Feb. 1, 2000, which is incorporated herein byreference. The clickstream database tracks individual subscriberactions, such as clicking a hyperlink on a web page or pushing a buttonon a television remote control.

The subscriber action collector 114 transmits subscriber actions via thecable network 109 to a subscriber content choice database 116. Thesubscriber actions are combined in the content choice database 116 withlocal and national programming and advertising data. The resultant datadetails the programming and advertising displayed on the subscriber'svideo display and, over a period of time, provides acontent-access-choice history for each subscriber. The exemplaryembodiments may be advantageously implemented with the systems andmethods disclosed in a patent application filed by Matz et al. on Dec.14, 2001, entitled, “System and Method for Utilizing Television ViewingPatterns” (Attorney Docket Number BS01341), which is incorporated hereinby reference.

The content choice database 116 may include a category attribute. Thecategory attribute provides data that the CPP evaluator 118 can use tomore accurately generate a profile for a subscriber. For example, insome exemplary embodiments, the subscriber content choice database 116includes a television viewing history. The viewing history includes agenre attribute, which can be used to categorize each show. The genreattribute may include, for example, “Sports,” “Science Fiction,” and“Drama.”

Once subscriber choices have been stored in the subscriber contentchoice database 116, a content preference profile (CPP) evaluator 118analyzes data for each subscriber to generate an individual CPP andstore the CPP in the central CPP database 120.

In some exemplary embodiments the CPP database 120 includes additionalinformation, such as the subscriber's purchase history and demographicmeasures describing the purchaser. Exemplary embodiments may beadvantageously implemented with the systems and methods disclosed in apatent application filed by Matz et al. on Dec. 14, 2001, entitled,“System and Method for Developing Tailored Content” (Attorney DocketNumber BS01342), which is incorporated herein by reference. For example,in some exemplary embodiments, the CPP database 120 includes a creditcard purchase history. The purchase history may include purchases of thecontent provider's products and/or services and may include purchases ofproducts and/or services, which are complementary to or competitive withthe content provider's products and/or services. In other exemplaryembodiments the CPP database 120 includes a property-ownership database.In yet more exemplary embodiments, the CPP database 120 includes asurvey result or questionnaire response database. The subscriberdemographics, purchase history, or other additional information may beused in conjunction with the content-access-history to generate acustomized content-access list.

The central CPP database 120 includes profiles for a plurality ofsubscriber accessing the cable operator head-end 102. To ensure a highlevel of privacy and security, an individual subscriber may desire thather content choices and general profile be stored locally and not betransmitted to a central facility, such as the cable operator head-endshown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a decentralizedor distributed system, where the cable operator head-end 102 includesonly the VOD server 104 and movie storage database 108. The VOD menuitem generator 106, subscriber content choice database 116, CPPevaluator 118 and local CPP profile database 122 execute within theset-top box. Although FIG. 2 illustrates these application componentsexecuting on the set-top box 110, the components may also execute onvarious other types of equipment and may also execute on separate piecesof equipment. For example, in one embodiment, the components areincluded in a video display system. In another embodiment, the videodisplay system includes the subscriber action collector 116, but allmenu creation and content delivery components execute on the set-top box110.

In other exemplary embodiments, to help to ensure the privacy of thesubscriber, personally identifying information is omitted. Thesubscriber is assigned a unique identifier, which is stored in thevarious databases in lieu of the identifying information.

Although the exemplary embodiments above refer to a cable televisionservice provider, any content provider, including, for example,broadcast companies, satellite television providers, and Internet mediaproviders may successfully implement the exemplary embodiments. Contentavailable in various embodiments may include both video and audiocontent, multimedia games, news sources, Internet sites, such ase-commerce sites, and any other content type of interest to asubscriber.

In conventional EPGs and other menu systems, content is arranged usinggeneral rules of organization. For example, in some conventional guides,the options, including content types and content titles, appearalphabetically. In other guides, the options appear based on thepopularity of the option with a general population. The exemplaryembodiments, however, may present the options in an order based on thesubscriber's preferences, which are derived from the subscriber'scontent-access history and other subscriber-specific information.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart, illustrating such a process as performed by theVOD menu item generator (106) and CPP evaluator (118) shown in FIG. 1,according to exemplary embodiments. The process begins when the menuitem generator (106) receives a “Display Movies List” command 302. Thecommand may be generated as a result of a subscriber action or as anautomated response to a pre-defined event, such as when the set-top box(110) is turned on. In response to the command, the menu item generator(106) searches the VOD movie storage database (108) for movies 304. Thedatabase (108) executes a query and returns the movie list, includingthe movie genre and other information, to the VOD menu item creator(106). The menu item creator (106) next instructs the CPP evaluator(118) to search the CPP database (120 or 122) for the CPP correspondingto the specific subscriber requesting the movie list 307.

The CPP evaluator (118) searches the CPP database (120 or 122) 308. Inresponse, the database (120 or 122) returns the CPP for the subscriber,to the CPP evaluator (118) 310. The CPP evaluator (118) provides theprofile to the menu item generator (106), which uses the CPP to filteror sort the movie list 312. If menu item generator (106) filters thedata, only items corresponding to the subscriber's preferences aredisplayed. If the menu item generator (106) sorts, but does not filter,the data, preferred items appear at the beginning of the list, andnon-preferred items appear at the end.

For example, if, according to the CPP, the subscriber watches onlysports and science fiction programs, then the menu item generator (106)generates a list including only sports and science fiction programming.In other exemplary embodiments, the menu item generator (106) generatesa list including all movie types. The sports and science fictionprograms appear at the top, and non-relevant categories or options arepresented at the bottom. The menu item generator (106) provides thefinal list to the menu presenter (112) via the cable network (109) 314.

The subscriber content choice database 116 includes thecontent-access-history of one or more subscribers. The database 116 mayinclude a preference rating, denoting the importance of a particularpreference to the subscriber. The CPP evaluator (118) calculates thepreference rating by analyzing historical subscriber actions. Forexample, over a period of several months, a subscriber may demonstrate apreference for live sports. If the subscriber also demonstrates apreference for sports reruns, then the relative weight of sports as apreference would rank above the preference for live television. Theexemplary embodiments use the preference rating to further sort theoption list.

The subscriber merely watches the television or other video display andmakes selections from the electronic program guide (EPG). As he makeschoices, these choices are recorded and used to create the CPP. Thesubscriber, in some exemplary embodiments, turns the filtering orsorting of the EPG on and off as desired. In other exemplaryembodiments, the subscriber fills out a form, electronic or paper,detailing her preferences. This form is used to initialize the CPPdatabase (120 or 122) so that the user's preferences may be used tofilter or sort the EPG even though little or no subscriber actions havebeen recorded. In yet other exemplary embodiments, the subscriber sets aparameter, instructing the CPP evaluator 118 to use only a specifiedtime period within the CPP database (120 or 122). For example, asubscriber who is a sports fan may not wish her preferences for footballto carry into the spring and summer. He may prefer that the preferencesused during spring and summer be derived from viewing patterns occurringafter January.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a multi-level menu, according to exemplaryembodiments. The menu item generator (106) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2creates each of the menus using the process illustrated in FIG. 3. Themenu item generator (106) initially generates the Main Menu 402. TheMain Menu 402 includes several options. As illustrated by the order ofthe options contained in Main Menu 402, the subscriber most prefers towatch television 403. The subscriber's next preference is to watchmovies 404. The remaining options are sorted by a predefined sort order,such as alphabetically.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, when the subscriber selects theMovies option 404, the menu item generator (106) creates the Video onDemand Menu 406. As with the Main Menu 402, options in the Video onDemand Menu 406 appear according to the subscriber's preferences. Thesubscriber prefers movies in the action genre 408. When the subscriberselects the Action option 408 in the Video on Demand Menu, the menu itemgenerator (106) creates the Action Movies option list 410. Each of themovies in the Action Movies list 410 is related to the action genre. Themovies may also be related to additional genres, such as comedy andscience fiction. The subscriber for whom the Action Movies list 410 wascreated prefers science fiction after action. Therefore, in the ActionMovies list 410, the action movies that are also science fiction moviesare displayed first 412. All other action movies are displayed below inalphabetical order 414.

Exemplary embodiments provide great value to content providers andassist the provider in attracting subscribers. The content providers maybe billed a flat subscription-type rate for provision of the service, orthey may purchase the hardware and/or software required for implementingthe exemplary embodiments within their facility or in the homes of theirsubscribers.

Other exemplary embodiments include a computer-readable medium, havingcomputer-readable instructions for providing a content option list,including program code for combining data in a subscribercontent-access-history database with data from a content database andusing the combined data to construct a customized option list. Thecomputer-readable medium may also include program code for sorting theoption list, delivering the option list to a television set-top box orother menu presentation device, and displaying the option list.

A computer-readable medium includes an electronic, optical, magnetic, orother storage or transmission device capable of providing a processor,such as the processor in a web server, with computer-readableinstructions. Examples of such media include, but are not limited to, afloppy disk, CD-ROM, magnetic disk, memory chip, or any other mediumfrom which a computer processor can read. Also, various other forms ofcomputer-readable media may transmit or carry instructions to acomputer, including a router, private or public network, or othertransmission device or channel.

The exemplary embodiments have been presented only for the purpose ofillustration and description and are not intended to be exhaustive orlimiting. Numerous modifications and adaptations thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the exemplary embodiments.

1. A method for providing a content option list, comprising: receivingpreferences of a subscriber; receiving a subscriber-specified timeperiod that specifies a time for which the subscriber wishes thepreferences to be analyzed; querying a content database for contentrelated to the preference occurring within the time period; receiving afirst option list from the content database, wherein the first optionlist comprises content options related to the preference; and sendingthe first option list to the subscriber.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising categorizing the first option list by a preferencerating attribute, the preference rating attribute denoting an importanceof a category of content to the subscriber.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising querying the content database for content unrelatedto the preference and adding a non-preference-related option to thefirst option list.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the contentunrelated to the preference comprises property ownership records.
 5. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the content unrelated to the preferencecomprises credit card purchase records.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein said first option list comprises an image displayed on atelevision screen.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first optionlist provides access to a second option list.
 8. A system providing acontent option list, the system comprising: a processor communicatingwith a content-access-history database; the processor receivingpreferences of a subscriber via a; the processor receiving asubscriber-specified time period that specifies a time for which thesubscriber wishes the preferences to be analyzed; the processor queryingthe content-access-history database for content related to thepreference occurring within the time period; the processor receiving afirst option list from the content database, wherein the first optionlist comprises content options related to the preference; and theprocessor sending the first option list to the subscriber.
 9. The systemaccording to claim 8, wherein the processor categorizes the first optionlist by a preference rating attribute, the preference rating attributedenoting an importance of a category of content to the subscriber. 10.The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor queries thecontent-access-history database for content unrelated to the preferenceand adds a non-preference-related option to the first option list. 11.The system according to claim 10, wherein the content unrelated to thepreference comprises property ownership records.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 10, wherein the content unrelated to the preferencecomprises credit card purchase records.
 13. The system according toclaim 8, wherein the first option list comprises an image displayed on atelevision screen.
 14. The system according to claim 8, wherein thefirst option list provides access to a second option list.
 15. Acomputer readable medium comprising instructions for performing thesteps of: receiving preferences of a subscriber; receiving asubscriber-specified time period that specifies a time for which thesubscriber wishes the preferences to be analyzed; querying a contentdatabase for content related to the preference occurring within the timeperiod; receiving a first option list from the content database, whereinthe first option list comprises content options related to thepreference; and sending the first option list to the subscriber.
 16. Acomputer program product according to claim 15, further comprisinginstructions for categorizing the first option list by a preferencerating attribute, the preference rating attribute denoting an importanceof a category of content to the subscriber.
 17. A computer programproduct according to claim 15, further comprising instructions forquerying the content database for content unrelated to the preferenceand adding a non-preference-related option to the first option list. 18.A computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the contentunrelated to the preference comprises property ownership records.
 19. Acomputer program product according to claim 17, wherein the contentunrelated to the preference comprises credit card purchase records. 20.A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said firstoption list provides access to a second option list.